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Vaessen expands on the need for regular training at the RFYC final selection camp

Head coach of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs programme Mark Vaessen believes regular training from a young age is what makes a world of difference to the overall development of budding talents as the RFYC final selection camp continued at Beverly Park on Saturday. The penultimate day of training witnessed the action intensify as coaches got a better idea of the individuals capable of making the cut and receiving the coveted RFYC scholarship.

“We are now two batches old. We started off in 2015 so the first batch is already 2 years and the second batch is 1 year old, both batches do really well as its normal to say that the first batch is a little further than the group from last year. One year training, eight times a week makes a big difference which can be seen during the games,” Vaessen said.

Vaessen also spoke about the importance of starting the game early, he said: “If you want to learn skills, techniques, you can only do that at an early age. I always compare it with walking, you don’t start walking when you become 10 years old but rather do it when you’re just a year old. I think football works like that. In Europe, we start at 4 or 5 years old where they learn basic skills and techniques and by 10 they go on. In India, they start at 10 and lose a lot of years compared to the European kids.”

Day 4 of training in the weeklong camp saw the youngsters take to the pitch at Fr. Agnel Ground by 7:30 am for the morning session. It was a 90-minute session, beginning with a quick warmup, followed by receiving and receiving plus shooting drills. They then took part in 4-v-4 matches with two goalkeepers present as well as 4-v-4 matches with just small goals to score into.

After the completion of the morning session, the youngsters returned to their base in Beverly Park for breakfast and some much-needed rest. The afternoon session which got underway soon after lunch saw the kids assemble in the auditorium, where they were shown UEFA Champions League videos to give them a better understanding of how the beautiful game is played at the highest level. The final session of the day in Fr. Agnel Ground began at 5:30 pm and continued till 7 pm. The evening session saw all aspiring talents involved in a 11-v-11 tournament, which brought an end to the day’s action.